The twilight language explores hidden meanings and synchromystic connections via onomatology (study of names) and toponymy (study of place names). This blog further investigates "name games" and "number coincidences" found in news and history. Examinations are also found in my book The Copycat Effect (NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004).

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Tridents, Pitchforks, and Satan in the News

"We will follow them to the gates of Hell until they are brought to justice. Because Hell is where they will reside. Hell is where they will reside," Vice President Joseph Biden speaking about ISIS on September 3, 2014, at the Portsmouth Naval Yard, New Hampshire. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is one of four remaining naval shipyards in the nation, and is capable of docking all active classes of submarines including the Los Angeles, Trident and Virginia classes.

When is a trident really a pitchfork?

A trident is a three-pronged spear, used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the god of the sea in classical mythology. In Hindu mythology it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula (Sanskrit for "triple-spear"). Parallel to its fishing origins, the trident is associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology, the Roman god Neptune, and Shiva, a Hindu God who holds a trident in his hand. In Hindu legends and stories, Shiva uses this sacred weapon to fight off negativity in the form of evil villains. The trident represents the deity in his three aspects of creator, preserver and destroyer.

A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thick, widely separated pointed tines (also called prongs) used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material, such as hay, straw or leaves. Pitchforks typically have only two, three or four tines. The three-pronged pitchfork has grown to be associated with the Devil or Satan. The pitchfork is often used in satire of Christian demonology in popular media, especially in early humorous cartoons where a popular joke was a caricature of an angel and a pitchfork-wielding devil sitting on the opposite shoulders of the conflicted protagonist. The "pitchfork" of Satan looks remarkably like a trident. One has merged with the other.

Author Chris Woodyard's research on Herman Menz and his carved stone Devil of
Detroit (see above) has revealed a trident on the monument, although it was called the "big ugly fork" in the original news story. Woodyard has a new look at this Devil and others here.

Speaking of Detroit, the site of "Devil's Night" every October 30th, it is directly in the news in conjunction with Satan's followers coming to that city.

The Satanic Temple, a New-York-based religious group, announced on September 7, 2014, it wants to build its first chapter house in Detroit, Michigan, where it will perform services such as marriages and funerals. It noted the sacrificing of babies, humans and animals will not take place.

This is the same group that caused a stir when it said it wanted to erect a seven-foot tall statue of Satan near the Ten Commandments monument at the Oklahoma State Capitol. The proposed image (see above) of the statue suggested that the Temple wanted to depict Satan as a goat-headed Baphoment figure with a long beard, horns, and wings, with a pentagram design placed overhead. Two smiling children would be placed on both sides of the statue. Early reports of a Black Mass in Oklahoma also circulated. The plans for the Black Mass appear to be on a fast track.

However, the group’s leaders say they do not worship Satan. “We believe in a metaphorical, literary construct of Satan,” a Temple leader said. “He’s a symbol for rebellion, a symbol of human nature, the thirst for knowledge.”

Meanwhile, across the continent, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Devil made a very dramatic appearance in that city on Tuesday morning, September 9, 2014. The Devil was placed on a location that had formerly held a statue of Christopher Columbus.

The 9-foot-tall statue - please note, was left on 9/9 - thus 666 (upside down) - was a representation of Satan, Lucifer or the Devil, complete with red skin, a pointed tail and horns atop his head. The statue also holds one hand up in a devil-horn salute familiar to heavy metal fans the world over. It also sported an enormous erect penis.

"I'm going to have nightmares tonight," said one city worker who removed it around 3:15 p.m. PT.

All of this news of Satan exist closely in time with the bizarre death of Sarah Bean, who was killed when a gargoyle was beheaded by a piece of metal and then the gargoyle's head hit her directly on her head. She died in front of Chicago's Second Presbyterian Church, on September 4, 2014.

And speaking of a beheading...

Back to ISIS/ISIL, for a moment, as "Satan" is part of their justification for their campaign of terror and beheadings. And I mean more than the old "Americans are Satan" line. Members of the Yazidi religion, one of Iraq’s oldest minorities, are in the midst of a genocide by ISIS. Gruesome images of brutally slain people have emerged in recent weeks, as local officials say that at least 500 Yazidis, including 40 children, have been killed in northern Iraqi.

At the core of the Yazidis’ marginalization is their worship of a fallen angel, Melek Tawwus, or Peacock Angel, one of the seven angels that take primacy in their beliefs. Unlike the fall from grace of Satan, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, Melek Tawwus was forgiven and returned to heaven by God. The importance of Melek Tawwus to the Yazidis has given them an undeserved reputation for being devil-worshippers – a notoriety that, in the climate of extremism gripping Iraq, has turned life-threatening.

Representations, such as this one above, of the Kurdistan Yazidis’ Melek Tawwus or Melek Taus can have a trident-like appearance. It is a familiar image from TheExorcist movies, an overlap with the same region's Assyrian demon Pazuzu. To the Yazidis, Melek Taus is an angel; to ISIS, Melek Taus is Satan. It is the difference between life and death in modern day Iraq.

"We cannot erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today." - President Obama, 9/10/2014

Drudge posted the 9/10 image to his blog on 9/11 with the caption "Photos Capture Obama's Head of Horns."

Needless to say, I have to point out it looks like a trident.

Of course, the real question is why would anyone wish to photoshop the real image - there are no drapes that low behind the president (see here) to make President Obama look like the Devil?

8 comments:

I don't buy the way that the Yezidis are being portrayed in propaganda. Yezidism seems to me to be a deeply misogynistic cult with male homosexual pedophilic undertones. They believe that Adam, of his own seed, without the "corrupt" seed of Eve, gave birth to a "beautiful boy-child" whom the Yezidis hold to be their ancestor. The Yezidis have in recent years brutally murdered women of their sect for marrying non-Yezidis. The connection with the extremely grim Pazuzu is probably a hint at the true nature and origin of this "religion". I also wonder whether there is a connection between the word "Yezid"and the Hebrew word "Yesod", which is the kabbalistic name of the number 9, considered to be the root of all evil. Even the misogynistic practices of "Muslims" can be traced to pre-Islamic culture. I am reminded of Sodom and Gomorrha.

This post is quite apropos in light of all the high weirdness here in Oklahoma City area over the past few years. This Satanic black mass, scheduled to take place here in OKC in a week or two, has happened before. But it was this year that it has gotten an insane amount of attention, including our reporter's article on what he saw at a smaller black mass this group recently held. We have had a Sinclair dinosaur statue "beheaded," an EMPIRE Pizza "pink elephant" go missing and an H.P. Lovecraft monolith appear in front of a local restaurant. A good friend came home recently and found blood all over his house. Men in black have been lurking around town and a few weeks back - before Biden's statement - a sync friend said it seemed - in light of all of our earthquakes here in Oklahoma - as if the "gates of hell" had been opened. Something is definitely afoot.

"All clear at IU Southeast after weapon identified as an umbrella"http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/09/11/iu-southeast-lockdown-armed-person-seen-campus/15452061/

Not sure if the twin towers trient symbolism has been mentioned in the trident-themed blogposts so far, but in the off chance it hasn't...http://www.wtc.com/news/historic-twin-tower-tridents-installed-into-9-11-memorial-museum

When I read the word "Pazuzu," I think of the animated series 'Futurama.' The aged Professor Farnsworth maintains a winged beast named Pazuzu, a dragon-like creature resembling a gargoyle. As 'Futurama' is filled with references to Dungeons & Dragons, it's probable the writers took the name from a demon in that role-playing game. After the Professor grants Pazuzu his freedom, Pazuzu can be seen perched on a tall building in Paris as if he were a gargoyle. It's strange, then, that the Assyrian origin of the name should be mentioned in a post connected to stone gargoyles on buildings.

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About Me

Investigator of human and animal mysteries since 1960. Swamp Thing character "Coleman Wadsworth" in #4:7 and more in #4:8, is a tribute.
Author of over 35 books, including The Unidentified (1975), Mysterious America (1983/2007), Suicide Clusters (1987), Cryptozoology A to Z (1999), Bigfoot! (2003), The Copycat Effect (2004), and field guides.
Educated in anthropology-zoology at SIU-Carbondale, and psychiatric social work at Simmons College School of Social Work. Began doctoral work in anthropology (Brandeis University) and family violence (UNH). Taught at NE universities (1980 to 2003), while concurrently a senior researcher at the Muskie School (1983 to 1996), before retiring to write, lecture, consult, & open museum. Popular documentary course was taught for 23 semesters; appeared on C2C, The Larry King Show, MonsterQuest, Lost Tapes, In Search Of, and other tv programs.
Loren Coleman is a dedicated father (Caleb, Malcolm, Des), cryptozoologist, media consultant, and baseball fan.